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LEVI HEYWOOD, OF GARDNER, MASSACHUSETTS.

-Letiers Patent No. 72,291, dated December 17, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINE FOR' SPLITTING RATTAN,

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TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, LEVI HIiYWooD, of Gardner, in the county ofWorcester, and State of Massachusetts, have invented certainImprovements in Machines for Splitting Rattans, of which the followingis a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which-Figure 1 is an end elevation of a machine for splitting rattans, with myimprovements applied thereto, the face-plate of the guidc-stockbeingremoved, and some of the mechanism represented in red, to better showthe relation and construction of the interior mechanism.

Figure 2 is a vertical section on the line a: :v of fig. 1, with theface-plate secured in place.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the cutters and the block in whichthey are adjusted.

Figure 4, a horizontal section through the same.

In machines for splitting rattan where a tubular-spur cutter isemployed, owing to the cutters being placed as far forward as thecentral tube or quill through which the pith passes, (the cutters andtube being made in one piece,) the rattan is fed in so as to strike allsimultaneously, and the strands yield immediately to the pressure of thequill from Within, and are turned up so rapidly that the strength of thefibre is injured and the strand frequently fractured.

To overcome the above-mentioned difficulty is the object of myinvention, which consists in a series of splitting-cutters, made andadjusted in their block independently of each other, in connection witha quill or tube, which may be moved into a positioamore or less inadvance of the cutters, to adapt itself to the-different degrees ofhardness of the rattan to besplit.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand and use my invention,I will proceed to describe the manner in which I have carried it out.

In the said drawings, (which represent a portion of amachine forsplitting rattan,) A is a head or guidestock, which is secured at a tostandards B, rising from the bed or table 0, which is provided withgrooved ways [2, for a square block, D, to slide therein. This block isprovided with a screw-bolt, c, which passes through a circular holeformed in tbe'base, d, of a tube or quill, E, which, when adjusted in aproper position with respect to the splitting-knives, (to be describedhereafter) ii secured in place by means of the screw-nut e, the tube orquill" serving as a circular cutter, against which the rattan is fed toseparate the outer or hard portion from the pith, which is fed throughthe tube out of the machine. F is the face-plate, screwed atfto thesides of the head A. G are four guide-levers, the outer ends of whichpass through slots in the head, while their inner ends lead toward andunite near the centre thcreofl and form an aperture, 9, for thereception of the rattan, the ends of thelevers being bevelled ofi frornh to 2' to facilitate the operation of entering it. One ot'each pair ofthese levers G has an arm, H, which is connected by a short lever, I, tothe other lever of the same pair, a bent spring, J, resting upon onelever of each pair and exerting a gradual and proper amount of pressureupon the rattan to bring it into line with the centre of the tube orquill, and securely hold it in' place while being split. 70 are screwsby which the tension of the spring J and degree of pressure of theguidelevers on the rat-tan are regulated.

The subject which forms the chief feature of my invention will now bedescribed.

K are splitting-knives or cutters, arranged radially within slots in acircular cutter-block, L, one cutter being made adjustable within theslot independently of another, to allow the tube or quill to be placedmore or less in front of them, according to thesize and hardness ofthe-rattan to be split, in order to prevent the strength of the fibrefrom being injured and the strand from fracturing hybeing turned up tooabruptly, an occurrence common to the employment of the tubular-spurcutter, in whichthe rattan strikes the tube and cutter simultaneously.When the cutters K are adjusted into the position required, they areconfined securely in place by clamping the head of the screws Z tightlyupon them. When it is desired to adjust the cutters K, or to remove themto be sharpened, it is simply necessary to loosen the screws Z, andgrind them and their tube or quill on a stone, whereas the constructionof the tubular cutter is such that a file only can be applied tosharpon'the edges, which are consequently made soft to allow of thisbeing done, and the operation of sharpening is thereby frequentlyrepeated. 7

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

An independent tube or quill, E, which may be adjusted more or less inadvance of thc cuttcrs, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

LEVI HEYWQOD.

Witnesses:

N. W. Srniums, W. J. CAMBRIDGE.

